By‑elections set for October 6 across Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Assam and Puducherry

The Election Commission of India (ECI) finally put out the calendar for a handful of by‑elections that have been pending for months. Voters in Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, West Bengal and Assam will go to the polls on Tuesday, 6 October 2026, and the ballot boxes will be opened on Friday, 9 October.

According to the official Gazette, the notification will be published on 9 September. Candidates must file their nomination papers by 16 September, after which the ECI will scrutinise them on the 17th. Those who wish to bow out can do so until 19 September. The entire exercise – from polling to the declaration of results – is slated to finish before 11 October.

Electoral rolls have already been updated. The final list for Assam’s Nagaon Lok Sabha constituency was released on 10 February, while Puducherry’s Thattanchavady Assembly seat got its roll on 14 February. In Tamil Nadu, the rolls for Madurantakam (SC) and Dharapuram (SC) were finalised on 23 February, and West Bengal’s Rejinagar and Nandigram constituencies saw their rolls locked in on 28 February after thorough revision drives.

Why the vacancies? In Tamil Nadu, both Madurantakam (SC) and Dharapuram (SC) fell empty after the resignations of Maragatham Kumaravel and P Sathyabama respectively. Puducherry’s Thattanchavady seat became vacant when former chief minister N. Rangasamy stepped down. In West Bengal, the resignations of Humayun Kabir from Rejinagar and Suvendu Adhikari from Nandigram triggered the need for by‑polls. Finally, Assam’s Nagaon Lok Sabha seat is up for grabs after Pradyut Bordoloi quit his post.

These elections are being watched closely, not just because they fill empty seats but also because they could offer an early glimpse of shifting political winds ahead of the next general elections. Voters, parties and analysts alike will be counting the minutes as the results roll in on 9 October.